‘Question over future of Aldi price match schemes’ as Sainsbury’s joins Tesco in scaling back

Sainsbury’s has joined Tesco in dramatically scaling back its Aldi Price Match campaign by withdrawing the commitment from more than 100 products.

The number of products in Sainsbury’s scheme had fallen from a peak of 681 in November last year to 566 by 17 February 2025, according to analysis for The Grocer.

Many of the products culled from the scheme are Sainsbury’s own label, spanning a range of categories including ambient food and everyday staples.

In almost all cases, Sainsbury’s has since increased the price to above Aldi’s, according to Paul Stainton, partner at private label consultancy IPLC.

It comes after The Grocer revealed last week that Tesco had culled about 150 products from its Aldi Price Match scheme, taking the number to 645, while Asda axed its scheme altogether in January to focus on a new Rollback price campaign.

Stainton, who carried out the analysis, said the trend placed “a question mark over the long-term future of such schemes in the UK”.

He put the contraction of Sainsbury’s scheme down to margin pressure created by matching Aldi. He said he was nevertheless “particularly surprised” to see everyday staples such as granulated sugar and value bread removed.

Sainsbury’s launched its scheme in 2021, a year after Tesco became the first supermarket to claim to match Aldi prices on hundreds of products. Asda and Morrisons joined with their versions – promising to match both Aldi and Lidl – in 2024.

Sainsbury’s scheme initially included about 200 products and was gradually increased to last year’s peak of 680 before the recent cull.

Sainsbury’s also expanded its price match campaign to its convenience estate for the first time in November 2024, covering 200 of its “most popular” breakfast, lunch and dinner lines in its 800 Local stores.

Along with loyalty pricing, the schemes have been credited with helping Tesco and Sainsbury’s increase market share while making it harder for Aldi to grow sales. Tesco’s share was 28.5% in the 12 weeks to 26 January 2025, according to latest Kantar data, up from 27.8% a year earlier. Sainsbury’s was 15.9%, up from 15.7%.

“Aldi Price Match has often been quoted by Sainsbury’s as one of the reasons for their strong market performance over the past 18 months,” said Stainton.

“However, such a strategy costs a lot of margin.

“Sainsbury’s reduction in price-matched products, coupled with Tesco’s removal of 150 products and Asda’s decision to end price match completely, places a question mark over the long-term future of such schemes in the UK.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Much like the price of individual products, the number of items in our Aldi Price Match campaign can go up as well as down. That doesn’t stop us offering outstanding value throughout the year across thousands of items, whether that’s through Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices, Nectar Prices or our value Stamford Street range.

“We have invested £1bn into value in recent years, which we know customers are noticing as more and more customers are choosing to do their shop at Sainsbury’s.”

Morrisons currently lists about 470 products in its Aldi and Lidl price match scheme.

Examples of products culled from Sainsbury’s Aldi price match scheme

Source: IPLC/Paul Stainton